Gonna take a walk outside
in the afternoon
And watch the butterflies
go spinning around
I think I’ll find
some spiky branches
to climb up on
And get a new perspective
of the ground

I do feel free,
feel really free,
and I feel like
I follow what I love…
So much
to be excited about
and happy about
and appreciative for.

Welcome, joyful viewers,
to Vegetarian Elite.
Today, we’ll introduce
one of Los Angeles’
rising musical stars,
the beautiful
and multi-talented
Joy Valencia,
who is also committed
to the compassionate
vegan lifestyle.

And yeah,
I’m givin’ my love away
It doesn’t matter
if the sky is gray
It’s a beautiful day

Joy Valencia was born
and raised
in Chicago, Illinois, USA
and later attended
the prestigious
Berklee School of Music.
She excels
as a singer-songwriter,
musician and producer,
using her
spontaneous intuition
and an eclectic blend
of musical genres to create
her own unique sound.

I’m doing really
what I love.
And I’m a big believer
in follow your bliss
and do what really
makes you happy,
do what you love, basically.
And I had an "Ah-ha"
moment for that
when I read this quote
by Howard Thurman,
and it was, “Don’t ask
what the world needs;
ask what makes you
come alive, and go do that.
Because
what the world needs
is people
who have come alive.”

Some positive feedback
from her fans
prove that Joy Valencia
has definitely “come alive”!

“Gotta love her –
she looks & she sings
like an angel.”

“Soulful vocals,
magical music... fantastic!”

“Wow Joy, your music
is wonderful, love it...”

She has also earned
the title
“Artist of the Month”
from musical websites
Stereofame.com
and Beatcrave.com,
who noted, “Joy Valencia
is one prime example
in the music world
that shows how much
can be accomplished
with enough drive, spirit,
and naturally talent.”

Joy, so take us
to the beginning.
Did you always want to
be a singer or songwriter
growing up?

Yes, I’ve always wanted
to be a singer and a writer.
I was four years old
when I knew
what I wanted to do.

So what happened at four?
I mean, how do you
remember back at four
that that’s
what you wanted to do?

Michael Jackson
happened at four!
It’s so true, no it’s true.
I just knew.
I just was so drawn
to the music and
the whole artistic aspect
of it and performance,
and I loved to dance,
and that’s just,
that was it, I knew.

But also, it made
a lot of sense for me,
because as a kid,
I was always interested
in recording my voice.
I had a little
karaoke machine
with the two decks.
So there was the one deck
where you record
your voice, and then
I would switch it,
and I’d put it over here
so I’d play my voice
and then I’d record
myself singing
on top of that, along with
myself, a harmony.
Then I would
switch it again.
And then
I’d have three voices,
and then I’d have four.
As much as I could do,
being a 13-year-old or
12-year-old or whatever

Joy’s natural love for
experimenting with music
carried her all the way
to the largest independent
contemporary music school
in the world,
the prestigious
Berklee College of Music,
where she fell in love
with being in the studio.
She also met
her gifted husband
Alejandro Valencia
at Berklee.
They have since become
an excellent musical duo,
establishing their
very own studio,
Elytron Productions.

For me when I’m writing,
a lot of times I write
with a voice recorder.
So I feel like I get a sense
of the melody
and the overall vibe
of the song,
like the instrumentation.
So the melody comes out
and a few words,
like a phrase or something.
I kind of hear it all at once
when it first happens.

What do you think
makes a great song?

I think a great song is
something that moves you.
You know,
it can make you happy,
or it can make you
feel something.
A lot of times I think
when someone can
relate to it,
"Oh, I’m not the only one
who feels this way,"
I think that's part of it.
So lyrics, I think,
make a great song.
But I have to also say
that melody is
so important to me, and
I think for me the melody
is the biggest factor.

Few individuals
in the music business
are involved in
the entire musical process
from start to finish.
Joy is one of these few
greatly accomplished
individuals.
“All Indie Magazine”
gave this encouraging
review of her work:
“No matter which era
Joy tries to capture,
it works
and makes Joy Valencia
one of the most intriguing
music artists…”

We do everything ourselves,
so I’m there
every step of the way.
Like, a lot of
the production ideas
are mine, like I said,
because I hear
the instrumentation,
I know what I want,
so Alejandro is the guy
who can make that happen.
And also I do
the vocal production.
But I also do a lot of
the tedious editing work
that people don’t even
realize that you have to
do that stuff,
because you know
that they probably think
that you can just record
a song and put it out.
But there’s hours
of real work to be put in.

Joy and her production
team’s diligent efforts
certainly paid off
in March of this year,
when she had her
first official video release
premier for
“Don’t Wake the Lion.”

If I wanna keep my head
I better keep it on the low
on the low

I was in the mood to write
a song, kind of light,
fun artistic song.
And I knew I wanted it
to have some organ,
I knew the specific
organ sound I wanted,
and a really high, fun vocal.
And then it kind of
came out of imagination
and I was picturing a lion
wearing my robe in my bed,
just kind of silly,
silly playful fun side.
And that’s why
I ended up
doing that one.

So I’m gonna make
a sandwich for his snack

I think music is
a universal language and
I think you don’t always
have to understand
what they’re saying
to get the feeling
that’s supposed
to be coming across.
I think it’s therapeutic,
I think it can
make someone happier.
And it can uplift you
and give you hope.

Music is surely one way
to give hope
for a better world.
But Joy Valencia has found
another powerful way
to contribute
to world peace –
in her lifestyle.

I’ve been vegetarian
for over three years
and vegan
for over two-and-a-half.

I was listening to
“Do You?”
by Russell Simmons.
And I was not
expecting this to happen,
but Russell Simmons was
talking about the chickens
and how they’re treated,
in a music business book.
He said something about
how whatever you’re eating,
you’re putting
that energy into you.
And that was like, clicked.
I was like, the energy
of the suffering animal,
the energy of the person
who killed
that suffering animal,
all of that?
So that’s what made me
really think about it.

How did you feel
after the transition
and what are
some of the benefits
that you noticed?

I felt lighter,
both physically
and my conscience.
I felt like
food digested better.
I think when you eat meat,
it sits in your stomach
and it rots in your stomach.
It doesn’t just digest
and go through,
so doesn’t really give you
the kind of energy
that feels like fuel,
like it keeps you going.
I felt like
I had better energy,
I felt lighter.
After I went vegan
I lost five pounds,
like immediately.
Not like I was trying to,
but I was like whoa!
I didn’t realize that.
Yeah, okay, I felt clear.

What are some of your
favorite places to eat at,
or your favorite dishes
to cook?

Yes, I like Real Food Daily
in Santa Monica
and Follow Your Heart
is up by me.
One World Vegetarian
is awesome.
And as far as one of my
favorite dishes to make,
my favorite food
to ever eat and make
is tabouli.
I make it with quinoa
and I’m really lucky
because a friend of mine
gave me a recipe.
It’s like a passed-down
family recipe from
her family in Lebanon.

I thought it was pretty
shocking to find out
that the United Nations
released a statement
saying that the livestock
industry produces
more greenhouse gases
than the entire
transportation industry of
the whole world combined.
So it’s greener to go veg
than it is to drive a Prius,
but why not do both,
you know?
It’s definitely something
we can do to reduce
our carbon footprint.

How do animal welfare
ethics fit into your
decisions to stay vegan?

There’s so many different
reasons to be vegan,
and for me,
that’s the main one.
I learned a term
that describes
how I’ve always felt
about animals
and respecting life
and its ahimsa.
It’s a belief
in the sacredness
of all creatures
and urging avoidance
of harm and violence.
I felt like that
my whole life.

I remember walking home
from grade school,
seeing kids stepping
on caterpillars and guts…
I remember thinking like,
“Why, why?
I don’t understand
why we feel the need
to kill things
that are smaller than us.”
That’s always bothered me
my whole life and now
I know there are people
out there like me.

So basically I, feel good
about not contributing to
the culture of suffering.
There are these animals
being imprisoned
all over the place.
They don’t have freedom.
That’s a basic right
that everyone deserves
(Right.) is freedom.

On April 10, 2011,
Joy participated
in a concert
celebrating the premiere
of Supreme Master
Ching Hai’s
poetry collection,
“The Love of Centuries,”
in Cerritos, California, USA.
During the meaningful
event, guest of honor
Supreme Master
Ching Hai
spoke about the urgent
state of our planet, and
how we could each do
our part especially
by sharing more love,
especially by adopting
the loving animal-free diet.

Along with other
distinguished artists,
Joy performed
an uplifting song
bearing this message
titled “Please Wake Up!”
with the Oscar
and 5-time Emmy winner
Bill Conti setting
Supreme Master
Ching Hai’s poem
to music.

O heart,
relent your sobbing
For my soul to rest
in long nights
Tears dried up
and I’m wordless
Weeping in pain
for the tormented!

The song was about
how Mother Earth
is mourning, basically.
However,
we need to be aware
of what we're doing;
our choices are
changing the planet
and we need
to change basically.
So it was a really
nice message and
the experience was great,
the people were lovely.
It was good vibes
all around,
and the food was amazing.

Thank you, Joy,
for sharing your
tremendous artistic talents
and for being our inspiring
vegan role model.
Your beauty certainly
shines inside and out!
Wishing you
the best of success in
your musical endeavors,
as we work together
to make our world a place
of love and freedom
for all co-inhabitants.

Your love came
flying through my window
As sweetly
as a little sparrow
You said
you’ll never ever hurt me
You said
you’d carry me to safety

Kind viewers, thank you
for being with us today
on Vegetarian Elite
featuring the wonderful
singer-songwriter,
musician and producer
Joy Valencia.
Coming up next is
Between Master
and Disciples.
Blessed be the love
shining from your heart.

If you love me,
Tell me that you love me
If you love me,
Tell me now
All we have
is only but a moment
If you love me, please
Love me now